Atherosclerosis: Pathologic Anatomy and Pathogenesis

Abstract

Atherosclerosis, the major type of arteriosclerosis, is characterized by the development and growth of atherosclerotic plaques composed of variable combinations of smooth muscle cells, macrophages, T lymphocytes, lipid derived from low density lipoprotein (LDL) and fibrous matrix.Atherosclerosis develops as an inflammatory response of the vessel wall to chronic, multifactorial endothelial injury and involves endothelial dysfunction, leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions, intracellular and extracellular accumulation of cholesterol derived from oxidized LDL and smooth musele cell proliferation.Risk factors for atherosclerosis identified in clinical epidemiological studies exert multiple effects at the cellular and molecular levels that are important in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.